My New Favorite Recipe

First, let me say that while I think about blogging every single day, I only ever come over to do it when I feel a deep need to. It is RARE that I come out of the fog of my mind to actually write a blog post, particularly when I'm unmotivated -- which I'm SERIOUSLY experiencing right now.  But the other day, I ran across a recipe that I decided to try out in my efforts to eat better and shake this last bit of random bullshit weight, and I HAD to come blog about it. I can't stop thinking about it.

Any of you who know me know how much I love and truly adore cilantro. I eat it in my sleep, which makes me dream about it. I take it to church with me. (I'm kidding. I don't go to church.) I bathe myself with it, then wrap it up in my Snuggie with me on chilly Sunday evenings while I watch the Redskins get pummeled in football. As *SOON* as I saw this recipe, I knew it'd be the very next one I would try.

This is the pic that Clean Eating Magazine posted in the recipe online, and of course, I forgot to take a picture of how it came out....but that has less to do with my memory and more to do with the fact that I C.R.U.S.H.E.D the entire fuckin' pan of it. I mean, there was nothing left in the pan: not a garlic mince, not a cilantro stem, not a red pepper flake. Nothing.Demolished. Finito.

Here's the recipe:

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 cups fresh cilantro
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 3 cloves garlic 
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 2 1/2 tbsp red wine vinegar
•  Sea salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste
• 8 oz whole-wheat rotini pasta
• 20 medium raw shrimp, peeled and deveined 

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Preheat broiler to high. Line a large baking sheet with foil.
2. Prepare sauce: In the bowl of a food processor, pulse cilantro, oregano, garlic and red pepper flakes until combined. While food processor is running, add oil and vinegar. Stir in salt and black pepper. Set aside.
3. Cook pasta according to package directions. Set aside.
4. Arrange shrimp on sheet; transfer to oven and broil for 3 to 5 minutes, turning once, until pink. 
5. In a large saucepan on medium, add pasta and garlic-cilantro mixture and cook, stirring often, for 1 minute. Reduce heat to medium-low, add shrimp and stir to combine. 

 And for those of you counting calories, like me, here's the nutrition deets:

Nutrients per serving: Calories: 420, Total Fat: 23 g, Sat. Fat: 3 g, Monounsaturated Fat: 14 g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2 g, Carbs: 38 g, Fiber: 9 g, Sugars: 3 g, Protein: 15 g, Sodium: 95 mg, Cholesterol: 45 mg


I added bite-sized chunks of chicken to it because it didn't look like it would be enough upon initial inspection. The chicken really filled it out nicely and made it more of a meal for those of us who scoff at shrimp dishes, looking them up and down like they're short. It came out SO GOOD! Plus, I added onions because, well, I love onions almost as much as I love cilantro. The onions rounded out the flavors and made it onion-y like I like my food, lol, and the red wine vinegar brought everything together.

My sister walked past the pan as I was making it, peeping over my shoulder all nosey, side eying me because I was eating it straight outta the pan (#don'tjudgeme). She's allergic to shrimp (poor thing. But I'm allergic to crabs so I guess we both miss out. Thanks Mother Nature. #bitch) so she couldn't have any, which didn't bother me none at all cuz I was eating the first batch standing over the pan watching the rest of it simmer. *smh* I guess even big girls who eat clean still eat like fat girls, huh?

Don't tell nobody.


Here's the link again, if you want it:

Garlic-Cilantro Shrimp Rotini

Oh, and if you make it, take pics and send them to me so I can drool over them and be reminded to make another pot of this crack/cocaine.


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